1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steam generator and cleaner using the same, and more particularly, a steam generator, method of controlling the same, cleaner using the same and method of controlling the cleaner. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for enhancing a structure of the steam generator and enabling steam cleaning and vacuum cleaning using the structure-enhanced steam generator.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a vacuum cleaner collects dust in a manner of sucking air containing particles such as dust and the like and separating the particles from the sucked air. In the following description, a cleaner's function of sucking air and removing particles from the suck-in air is named a vacuum cleaning function.
The vacuum cleaner consists of a head body sucking air, a cleaner body having a dust collector collecting dust by separating particles from the sucked air, and a connecting pipe guiding the particles sucked by the head body to the cleaner body.
The cleaner body is provided with an air sucking device generating an air sucking force and a dust collector container loading part, in which a dust collector container is loaded, is provided to a prescribed position of the cleaner body.
Drive wheels are provided to both rear sides of the cleaner body, respectively. And, a caster of a rotational material for a direction change of the cleaner body is provided to a front bottom side of the cleaner body.
Meanwhile, a general steam cleaner is a cleaning device facilitating filth or dirt to be removed from a floor by supplying water to a floorcloth attached to a bottom side of the steam cleaner and heating the floorcloth using hot steam. In the following description, a cleaner's function of cleaning a floor using steam is named a steam cleaning function.
The steam cleaner consists of a cleaner body moving along a floor, a steam generator provided within the cleaner body to generate steam, and a grip member playing a role as a grip in case that a user attempts to move the cleaner body.
A floorcloth is attached to a bottom side of the cleaner body to clean a floor. So, the floorcloth attached to the bottom side of the cleaner body to clean the filthy floor while the cleaner body is moving.
The steam generator is provided with a water container supplying water and a heating device changing water into steam.
However, since the steam generated from the steam generator is discharged via a steam outlet that is always open, a steam pressure is lowered in carrying out a steam cleaning.
And, since the steam outlet is always open despite not performing the steam cleaning, a smell within the steam generator leaks externally.
Meanwhile, a heating member may be overheated in driving the heating device. To prevent this, a thermostat or the like is installed.
However, since the thermostat measures not a temperature of the heating member but a water temperature, it is unable to correctly measure whether the heating member is overheated. For instance, since the water temperature is maintained almost at 100° C. in driving the steam generator, it is unable to know whether the heating member is overheated.
Besides, since the thermostat is provided within the steam generator apart from the heating device, assembly productivity in manufacturing a home appliance is lowered. And, if the thermostat or the heating device is out of order, other parts need to be disassembled for repair. Hence, it is difficult to repair the thermostat or the heating device since.